• Game Notes (.pdf)

#24/21 CAL U (6-2, 4-1) vs. IUP (5-2, 4-1)
• When: Saturday, Oct. 29, 2011
• Where: Indiana, Pa.
• Stadium: George P. Miller Stadium (6,500)
• Kickoff: 1 p.m.
• Live Radio: WCAL (91.9 FM) I WQMU (92.5 FM)
• Live Video: Ameria One (PPV) I WatchESPN
• Live Stats: Click here

SERIES BREAKDOWN
• All-Time Series: IUP leads 59-22-2
• First Meeting: 1918 - IUP won 20-2
• Last Meeting: Oct. 27, 2010 @ Cal U - Cal U won 18-15 (OT)

CAL U NOTES
• With second place in the PSAC West standings at stake, Cal U returns to action this weekend following a 32-26 overtime victory last Saturday against Mercyhurst. Meanwhile, IUP extended its win streak to four games last week with a 35-7 win over Gannon.

• After tying the game with 27.6 seconds left in regulation, the Vulcans claimed a 32-26 overtime victory over Mercyhurst last week. Trailing 26-20 with 3:24 remaining in regulation, redshirt junior quarterback Peter Lalich led a 63-yard, game-tying drive that was capped with a six-yard touchdown pass to junior tight end Blake Williamson. During Mercyhurst's possession in overtime, sophomore linebacker Brian Justice made his first career interception in the end zone. On the Cal U possession, freshman short-yardage specialist Jeff Knox, Jr. scored the game-winning, four-yard touchdown.

• The Vulcans and Crimson Hawks are meeting for the 84th time this weekend in the third-annual Coal Bowl. Cal U has won five of the last six games against IUP.

• A 28-year veteran as an assistant coach, Curt Cignetti is in his first season as head coach at IUP. He spent the past four seasons as the wide receivers coach and recruiting coordinator at Alabama and helped the Crimson Tide win the 2009 BCS National Championship. Cignetti is the oldest son of former IUP head coach Frank Cignetti and began his coaching career as a graduate assistant at Pitt in 1983 after playing quarterback at West Virginia.

• IUP returns 24 lettermen and eight starters (five offensive, three defensive) from last year's team that finished 6-5 overall and tied for fourth in the PSAC West standings with 3-4 mark in divisional play. Behind a run-based offense and dominant defense, the Crimson Hawks are 5-2 this year and are ninth in the initial Super Region One rankings. IUP enters the weekend ranked third in NCAA Division II in scoring defense (13.57 points/game) and is also among the top 20 in the country in rushing defense (102.29 yards/game) and total defense (293.57 yards/game). Sophomore linebacker Alex Berdahl leads the team with 54 tackles (21 solo), while senior linebacker Mark Jackson has tallied 52 stops (25 solo) after tying for second on the team in tackles last season. Senior Johnny Franco leads the team after tying his career high with four interceptions through seven games. The Crimson Hawks' offense keys around the play of sophomore Harvie Tuck, who ranks third in the league and 18th in the country with 108.3 rushing yards/game on a conference-high 170 rushing attempts. He opened the year with four-consecutive with 100-plus yards and was held to a season-low 72 rushing yards while rushing for two touchdowns in last week's win over Gannon. After playing only two games due to injury last season, sophomore quarterback Pat Smith is fifth in the PSAC with a passing efficiency of 142.8 after passing for nearly 900 yards with six touchdowns and only three interceptions. Smith, a former pitcher on the IUP baseball team, made his first career start against the Vulcans in the inaugural Coal Bowl during the 2009 season. On special teams, senior Grant Schallock ranks second in the PSAC with an average of 41.2 yards/punt with 12 punts placed inside the 20-yard line. Senior Javon Rowan is third in the league with an average of 8.3 yards/punt return.

• This weekend marks the third-annual Coal Bowl in the long-standing rivalry between Cal U and IUP. In the first-ever Coal Bowl, the Vulcans posted a 41-28 road victory in 2009 behind four touchdown passes by quarterback Josh Portis. Wide receiver Terrance Moore caught a pair of scores and also threw a touchdown pass to fellow wide receiver AJ Jackson, who finished with three touchdown receptions. Last year, Cal U rallied from a 15-0 fourth-quarter deficit to earn an 18-15 victory in overtime. Portis connected with Chedrick Cherry for a touchdown with 5.2 seconds left in regulation to cut the deficit to 15-13 before Portis again found Cherry on the ensuing two-point conversion. In overtime, kicker Marc Domonkos made the game-winning, 17-yard field goal.

• Both Cal U and IUP feature connections to national-power Alabama. The Crimson Hawks enter the weekend on a four-game win streak under the direction of first-year head coach Curt Cignetti. He spent the past four seasons as the wide receivers coach and recruiting coordinator with the Crimson Tide under Nick Saban. Cal U defensive back Robby Green also spent time in Tuscaloosa, playing in 26 games at Alabama with six starts. In seven games (six starts) this year, he has posted 30 tackles (19 solo) with 2.5 TFL and 1.0 sack.

• After dropping out of the AFCA Top 25 poll for the first time since Nov. 2009, the Vulcans moved back into the national rankings this week by appearing at No. 24. Cal U had previously been ranked in the poll for 22-straight weeks and entered the year ranked No. 12 in the preseason poll. The Vulcans are also ranked No. 21 in the latest D2Football.com poll.

• Despite being ranked in the Top 25 polls by AFCA and D2Football.com, Cal U was not featured in the initial NCAA Super Region One rankings released this week. The Vulcans will close divisional play against IUP and Edinboro, who have a combined record of 11-4 and are both ranked in the regional rankings. The NCAA Selection Committee selects six teams from each region at the end of the regular season to participate in the NCAA Playoffs.

• Sophomore linebacker Brian Justice was named the PSAC West and D2Football.com National Defensive Player of the Week for his performance against Mercyhurst. After the Vulcans tied the game in the final minute of regulation, Justice made  his first career interception in the end zone on the Lakers' overtime possession and Cal U earned the win on the ensuing possession with a four-yard touchdown. The 6-3 sophomore linebacker finished the game with 11 tackles (two solo) and now leads the team with 68 stops (30 solo) this year.

• Senior wide receiver Thomas Mayo enters the weekend only 60 yards shy of reaching the 1,000-yard mark for the third-straight season (previous two at Concord). He would become the fourth different Cal U wide receiver in the last five years to surpass 1,000 yards in a season. Mayo is also only 41 yards away from becoming the 16th player in NCAA Division II history with 4,000 career receiving yards. Last week, the Virginia native posted his fourth 100-yard game of the year and enters the weekend ranked second in the PSAC in receptions, receiving yards and receiving touchdowns.

• A former all-state wide receiver in his native Arizona, junior Greg Cochrane transitioned to safety this season. He was a standout on special teams and reserve wide receiver last year before tallying 41 tackles (17 solo) with 3.0 TFL and 2.5 sacks in his first season on defense. Cochrane made a career-high 11 tackles (five solo) with 1.5 TFL and 1.5 sacks in his second career start last week at Mercyhurst.

• After seeing time on defense and special teams early in the season, freshman Jeff Knox, Jr. also has served as a short-yardage running back in recent weeks for the Vulcans. A standout cornerback and running back while at Central Catholic and DeMatha Catholic (Md.), he has scored six rushing touchdowns on only 15 carries in the last five games. Last week against Mercyhurst, Knox posted a pair of rushing scores with the game-winning touchdown in overtime.

• Over the last three games, the Vulcans have recorded nine interceptions with a season-high four interceptions at Slippery Rock on Oct. 15. Cal U now ranks third in the conference with 14 interceptions this season led by a career-high four by junior defensive back Rontez Miles. A preseason All-American, Miles entered the year with one career interception and has posted an interception in three-straight games.

• Last weekend against Mercyhurst, redshirt junior Mario Washington blocked a punt in the third quarter and sophomore Ja'wan Bryant returned the loose ball 12 yards for a touchdown. Earlier this season, Washington returned a blocked punt 38 yards for a touchdown against C.W. Post. Since the 2005 season, the Vulcans have registered an impressive 30 blocked kicks despite tallying only one in both 2008 and 2010.

• With the win last week, Cal U has won all four of its overtime games since 2002.